


Conversations between a Flyboy and a Jarhead

by ArwenLune



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Road Trips, Snippets, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2012-01-31
Packaged: 2017-10-27 10:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwenLune/pseuds/ArwenLune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Major Lorne [USAF] and Lieutenant Cadman [USMC], becoming Evan and Laura</p><p>"Sometimes I think Sheppard sent you along just so I would get my recommended daily dose of surrealism while I was over here."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These snippets just keep on happening, and some of them want to be stories but that's not likely to happen, so I thought I'd post them. Varying points in time, varying points in the progression of their relationship.

"What has the world come to when the most welcome sounds I can think of are the words 'Fire in the hole!' followed by a sizable explosion?"

 

After a first, rapid visual check of the cell and his condition, she eyed the shackles that were holding his hands above his head and to the wall, and selected a tool from her cargo pocket to open them.

 

"It's a world in which you frequently get captured--" she said, eyes on the shackle as she fiddled it open, "-and I get to blow stuff up to save your ass. Sir." She added with a glance at his face and a shiteating grin.

 

"You know, I'm not even sure I would recognise you without the sound of an explosion preceding you."

 

She made a little a- _ha_ sound as she got the shackle open and did the second one more rapidly.

 

"Are you saying I should set off an explosion any time I approach you, sir?" She smirked.

 

He let her pull him to his feet and tried to stretch out the stiffness from a night on a cold cell floor. The sergeant guarding the doorway gave him a concerned look, and Cadman kept a hand at his arm until he'd steadied. His shoulders were screaming at him, and he desperately needed a hot shower, but he was surprisingly okay now they had shown up.

 

"I'm saying I'm damn glad to see you, Cadman."


	2. On the Road

"Look, it's a pilot thing," he tries to explain. "We're used to being in control of a vehicle, so to a man we're terrible passengers."

 

Backseat drivers, too. He knows he is, he's seen Sheppard twitch for the controls when he isn't flying the jumper himself, and according to Sheppard, General O'Neill is even worse. Apparently it was one of the first clues Sheppard had gotten that the General was the real deal, not a Pentagon desk jockey.

 

And he's taken Colonels Carter and Mitchell up in a jumper during their visit to Atlantis and had the pleasure of seeing them both simultaneously reach for phantom controls during a tight turn, then notice and share a chuckle.

 

"And that's why you can't let me drive, sir?" her tone finds a middle between hilarity and incredulous. They've only been on their way from the SGC for three hours and she's already losing the formal edge, setting into their guise as civilians on a road trip with far more ease than he does.

 

"Pretty much," he admits.

 

"Understood, sir," she says, kicking off her flipflops and putting her bare feet onto the dashboard. Her shorts are not indecent, but it's still a lot more than he's used to seeing of her.

 

When they needed somebody to do some low key investigation of Trust connections, Sheppard had decided that it should be Lorne on that road trip 'Because you're the sort of guy people talk to'. Then the next day when Lorne had been ready to gate to Earth, Sheppard had shoved Cadman at him with a deadpan expression that reminded him very much of General O'Neill, and the words "Cadman is coming with you. I wouldn't want you to get bored on the road."

 

She had shrugged apologetically at him just before they stepped through the gate.

"I think I'm supposed to be assistance, backup and entertainment all rolled into one."

 

Now he thinks she's probably also helping his cover - she's much better at passing for civilian than he is. The driver of a van he's overtaking gives her a look that says that Lorne should count himself lucky with such a companion. He supposes he should really settle into the part.

 

"We're supposed to be married, you know. You should really call me Evan," he says, overtaking a truck.

 

"Yes, dear."

 

She manages to hit 'dear' at the exact same tone she normally says 'sir' and he chokes on his laughter. There's a wicked gleam in her eyes and he knows exactly how much trouble he is in.

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Very well, out of deference to your rank I will never call you honeybunny again," she says when they drive away from the diner. There's just a hint of snigger in her voice.

He keeps his eyes on the road and idly reflects that the Academy just doesn't prepare you for this sort of thing. He's been trying for professional while maintaining their cover, but she has other ideas, and it's very tempting to let himself relax into the playful banter. Apparently she thinks he needs loosening up.

Then remembers he does have a little ammunition of his own.

"Excellent," he replies. "Then in return I will never mention to anybody that you talk about Applejack in your sleep."

She is silent, and he glances at her to see that her eyes have gone huge. He resists the urge to smirk, letting it play out.

"I did... what.. no. No way. You're making that up, sir."

Apparently a freakout brings back the formality. Interesting.

"It was something to do with being good with a lasso," he deadpans.

She seems paler all of a sudden.

"How do you even..." she gestures helplessly.

"A google search is not beyond me, Laura," he says mildly.

She hides her face in her hands with a groan.

She apparently doesn't know he would never make this public - he's well aware of the struggles she's had to gain respect from the ranks. And working with Colonel Carter has really made him think about just how much harder the female members of the military have to fight to get taken seriously. Twice as hard to go half as far, indeed. They have some extraordinary people in their expedition, and he would never knock any of them back by embarrassing them.

"So how about we agree that the mission report for this trip will be the driest, most boring read ever to have passed a superior's desk, and that anything more interesting will remain between the two of us?"

Oops. He hadn't intended for that to sound quite so.. suggestive.

"Sort of like 'what happens on the road trip-" she starts brightly

"You know, I really hope nobody is listening in here."

"Yes, sir. Dear."


	4. Chapter 4

"Ohh, supply stop ahead," she nods, pointing at the signs direction them to a mall.

 

Evan nods. There's no need to be roughing it, right now - they're well ahead of schedule. Plus, the whole concept of shops where you can go in, select an item and pay for it, no arcane rituals, ten-minute chat about the family or haggling necessary, is kind of novel.

 

By unspoken agreement he takes point across the parking lot while she watches his six. They go for the washrooms first, and he is both amused and glad when she lets him know the space is clear before closing the door. He does the same when he goes into the men's, and she waits for him outside the door just like he waited for her. To his surprise she's playing with her phone, but his frown disappears when he notices she's not any less vigilant for it, and seems to mostly do it to avoid the look the attendant is giving her. Apparently it's weird to take turns and guard one another.

 

He smothers a wry grin. Yeah, they're Atlanteans all right.

 

"Sheppard is going to bust a gut when he hears about this," he tells her under his breath. She gives him a surprised look, and he remembers she doesn't know the colonel the way he does.

 

"You know how he likes to wander around the city at night, right?"

 

She nods. Sheppard's nightly ramblings are legendary. No determined team of scientists on exploration can find as many interesting things as Sheppard on an insomniac wander through the city.

 

"Basically he doesn't pick a direction, he just goes through whatever door opens to him, let's.. it.. take him places." He almost says 'her' because to him, Atlantis will always be 'her'. He knows the tendency to anthropomorphize is something he shares with Sheppard and Miko, the three of them the ones with the most powerful expression of the Ancient gene. Sometimes the city feels like an entity with a personality, and from what Sheppard says he feels that very powerfully. Apparently sometimes the city takes Sheppard by the hand and takes him to see interesting things.

 

"He told me that on his leave, he kept feeling compelled to go through doors when they opened to him, so he ended up in all these random places," Lorne grinned. "When he realised he stopped going through, but he did keep mentally apologising."

 

"We have the makings of a 'you know you've been in the city too long when' list here.."

 

"We'll put it on the intranet when we get back," he grins at her.

 

"You know you've been in the city too long when you can't go to the toilet without a heavily armed colleague guarding the door."

 

"You know you've been in the city too long when you forget that normal showers don't automatically adjust to the right temperature."

 

"You know you've been in the city too long when you keep wanting to ask about.. ancester technology and power supplies..."

  
"You know you've been in the city too long when you lock yourself out of your car because you've forgotten about the concept of keys and doors that don't open when you think 'open' at them" Lorne grins.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not from the US and don't have a clue what malls are really like, so if it's All Wrong, kindly ignore

He tries not to show his hesitation as they enter the mall and it's crowded. He hadn't thought he was _that_ far gone, but three years on Atlantis have apparently left him unfit for Earth society.

 

"Oh fuck," he hears her mutter from over his right shoulder. "Busy."

 

Then, with a tense smile, she steps up to take his hand.

 

"Normal married couple," she says under her breath. "Totally normal. Come on honey, let's check out the book shop."

 

He lets her lead him to the shop, trying to get his head together. Too many people to track, most of them ignoring Cadman and him. He's been on countless first contact missions - missions where they tried to establish good relations, all the while keeping eagle eyes out for any signs of impending disaster. People staring, people ignoring them, people from the back of the crowd suddenly breaking off and disappearing.. he goes a little bit crazy trying to keep track of all the people shopping here, the patterns they make in the space.

 

They're both carrying concealed - Mitchell had personally made sure the permits were sorted for them - but he feels intensely naked without his P90, and that is a disturbing thought. He's never wanted to be the sort of military man who never leaves the war zone. Hopefully he'll readjust.

 

"This kind of feels like a two team mission all of a sudden," Cadman says in a low tone, navigating them through the crowd near the food court. He's glad she seems somewhat more accustomed to this than he is, even though it pains to admit the weakness.

 

Of course, she's been on Atlantis nearly three years too, but she's had a few 3-month periods on Earth in between to keep her PhD research on track, so she is less out of the habit. He's still gratified to see that she's no less vigilant.

 

They enter the bookshop. It's pleasantly hushed inside, and the shelves are all less than shoulder height, which does wonders for his resting pulse rate.

 

It isn't just that there are lots of people in an uncontrollable situation. There _is_ danger - the Trust may already know what they are doing. Before he left Atlantis Colonel Carter had told him of how Vala Mal Doran had been kidnapped right out of a fancy restaurant. Evan doesn't think they'll have tracked them down this close yet, they've been following a somewhat erratic route, but the danger isn't exactly imaginary.

 

He sweeps the shop, pretending to be browsing, while she lets an employee tell her about e-readers and keeps an eye on the door.

 

Colonel Mitchell had taken them out for a drink upon their arrival at the SGC, after their mission briefings were over. Evan had never really got to know the colonel before, was already in Atlantis when he arrived at Cheyenne Mountain, but Cadman knew him a little. Mitchell had been very welcoming, saying that Sam and he had a deal - he would take care of her people when they visited, and she would make sure any of his would feel welcome on Atlantis.

 

There had been a pang at that idea, that they were Colonel Carter's people now, not Dr Weir's people, but they had both let it go, grateful for the warm welcome. Mitchell had personally checked their mission packages, and added a few things, like non-matching phones and bluetooth headsets so they could stay in contact without being too obvious. There were also some discount vouchers for nice restaurants and hotels that will let them stretch their maintainer money to a much nicer trip than the SGC would have planned. Judging by the muttered 'should be a Geneva Convention against forcing a fighter pilot to drive a Fiesta' he had also upgraded their car to the rather fun Audi they had now.

 

He wonders idly about the two colonels. From what he'd seen of them the first time SG1 was in Atlantis, they were tight - and McKay's grumbling had backed up that assessment. He didn't know Colonel Carter as somebody who allowed others to fight her battles for her, but Mitchell was apparently allowed to shield her so she could work. He'd gotten the impression she didn't feel she had anything to prove to him.

 

Evan was always interested in other officers' command styles, and the strange new version of SG1 fascinated him - how on earth had Mitchell managed to command them? The answer had been that it was an artful balancing act of insight, drive and good-humoured cat herding. The four members of his team drifted their own, complicated orbits around him, but always looked to their leader for the big picture. And that worked because Mitchell was good at supporting their various expertises, and apparently never too big to say 'What do you think?' or admit that he was out of his depth. That wouldn't fit in every team dynamic, but Evan had taken close notice of it anyway.

 

There were some rumours about the two colonels, not unsubstantiated by the fact that Mitchell was always in the SGC control room at the time of the scheduled check-in - or had Sgt Harriman make his excuses, if he was on a mission. Their exchanges were never unprofessional, but always threaded through with the sort of fond closeness that seemed to leave a lot unspoken.

 

Why is he thinking about this now? Maybe it's that the fraternisation regs have been on his mind a lot, this trip.

 

He suspected this mission with Cadman was Sheppards way of forcing him to confront the Thing that was between the lieutenant and himself. That stuff he wasn't supposed to be feeling for a subordinate, and even though there was a lot more tolerance for fraternisation on Atlantis - they'd been sending half the expedition home every other month if they were strict about it - he still didn't think it was a good idea to have feelings for somebody under his command, who backed up his gate team on a semi-regular basis. Of course, it might be a little late to stop himself.

 

Or maybe Sheppard is just a sadist who wanted to see how long he could hold out against bare feet on the dashboard, and tank tops, and mischievous smiles.

 

This whole 'pretending to be married' thing was _not helping_. Shared motel rooms, for one thing. The first night he'd made to sleep on the floor when she'd reminded him that they had shared a sleeping bag at one point.  His reminder that she'd been _hypothermic_ at the time notwithstanding, he'd ended up sharing the bed with her.

 

Thankfully they are both calm sleepers and he's managed to keep to his own side of the bed so far. Even when it turned out she _smiles_ in her sleep. That has been a serious test of his self-control. She'll kill him if she ever finds out that he thinks she's cute when she sleeps.

 

He shakes himself out of the contemplations and picks up the small stack of art books he's been meaning to get - the other books he wants... well maybe he'll try the e-reader Cadman is buying, and if he likes it, get one himself before they'll gate back to Atlantis.

 

She looks up when he wanders back to the front of the shop, and they exchange the sort of silent 'clear?' 'clear' glance they've developed during missions. He pays for his books and settles on a sofa with clear view of the door and the shop, leafing his new purchases and affecting a calm he doesn't feel.

 

When Cadman has finished buying the e-reader and a crapload of digital books, they venture back out, and he's a little gratified to see that she has to steel herself too.

 

"Target last? Keep our hands free?" she suggests. He nods, and his eye is caught by an Arts and Crafts shop. Hey, supplies. This shopping stop might end up rewarding after all.

 

She's attuned to him well enough that she catches the shift in his body language and spots the shop.

 

"Ohhh. Shiny."

 

That makes him grin again. She's completely irresistible with this bright grin and the little bounce in her step. He hopes it isn't too obvious that right now she could drag him into a Victoria's Secret and he wouldn't complain.  


	6. Chapter 6

They stick to the outside of the centre court, not willing to cross the crowd around the food court again. He doesn't realise that might have been a mistake until they both grind to a halt, caught by the sight of a dog straining on a lead to touch them.

 

It looks like a Collie - Retriever mix of some description, a rather nice rust brown with grey around the muzzle, and a gentle look of earnest pleading for attention on its face.

 

Evan has sunk down to his haunches to pet it before he's even really aware of it.

 

"Hello..." he offers his hand to sniff, and the dog sits down before giving him a polite little lick. "...aren't you a sweetheart?" It pushes its head under his hand, and he swallows hard, homesickness hitting him like a well-aimed punch to the solar plexus.

 

"Zoomie?"

 

He startles, and both he and the dog look up at the woman who is holding the other end of the lead. She's chubby, with a mass of unruly red curls and a friendly smile on her face. He knows not to judge by appearances, but she doesn't move military, and he has a hard time understanding why she would peg him as Air Force.   




 

"Sir, perhaps you could come a few steps this way?"

 

She indicates the bench set up next to the pet shop's entrance, where another woman is sitting with the leads of two dogs with 'Adopt me!' vests on.

 

He blinks, a little confused, a little suspicious. Is this a Trust trick?

 

"I think the dog is called Zoomie," Laura supplies, guessing the source of his confusion.

 

Ah. Right. And he kind of stopped in the middle of a walking zone.

 

Knowing Cadman will keep watch, he does as the woman suggests and kneels down out of the way, back to the wall, the red dog immediately coming back to press herself against him.

 

He's vaguely aware of Cadman sitting down on the bench, petting one of the other dogs and chatting with the women. They're from a small local rescue organisation, out to socialise their foster dogs and hopefully find potential adopters. 

 

"Oh, I would love - you have no idea," Laura says. "We both would, in a heartbeat. But our lives really don't have space for a dog right now. Not even adorably pointy-eared fluffballs like you, huh?" she addresses the Spitz mix she's petting.

 

"Understandable. It's a big commitment, after all. If more people thought sensibly about if they had space in their lives, we wouldn't be so busy with rescue."

 

"So... Zoomie is not up for adoption? I can't imagine who'd give her up."

 

"Oh no, she's with me to stay. She's just along as a good example for these two... they can be a little shy. She's a therapy dog, she loves hanging out with new people."

 

Evan would gladly spend another five minutes holding the dog, who has burrowed her head under his chin, but this is really the maximum he can allow himself. Plus, he thinks he might actually tear up if he doesn't choke back the all-consuming longing and get himself out of here right now.

 

He briefly presses his cheek to the top of the dog's head and then gets to his feet.

 

"Thank you," he says to the red-haired woman. "I.. this.. it's.."

 

He thinks she might be a little misty eyed.

"I understand, sir. Sometimes you just need a dog cuddle."

 

He silently thanks her for saving him from his own confession.

"I can't adopt a dog, but would you accept a donation?" his voice sounds a little bit off, but hopefully only Cadman notices. "I know fostering is expensive."

 

She looks like that's not something she hears often, and then nods, so he hands over a fifty, waves away her slightly overwhelmed thanks, and pries Cadman away from the Spitz mix. He gets them both off into the direction of the art shop before either of them can cave and stay longer.

 

"Aww, Zoomie bonding," Cadman says softly as they're walking away. He might have taken that for mocking if she didn't have a soft sort of smile on her face, a kind he's never seen on her before. He must have looked somewhat defensive anyway, because she continues, "Not a word about your alleged humanity from me, s-dear. I promise."

 

"You were just snuggling what amounts to a lap dog, Laura," he smiles.

 

She gives a wistful look over her shoulder.

"He did that thing.. crawling under the blankets of my heart and acting like he belonged there."

 

"Yeah." He knows what she means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally shameless self insertion ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you shopping for half the city?" he says, looking over her shoulder to her PDA list.

"Pretty much..." she answers in a preoccupied way, crossing items out.

"A disco ball for the Rec commission?" he reads, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Dr Simpson says it'll be good for morale to dress up silly and move uncoordinatedly to bad eighties music."

He ponders that for a long moment.

"She... might have a point."

"So what's on your shopping list?"

He pulls out his PDA. It's not a short list.

"A boatload of microwave popcorn for Teyla, new Wii games for Sheppard, bacon and Tabasco for my sergeants," crap, he hadn't meant to say for whom. He has a good relationship with his two Marine sergeants, which seems to surprise people sometimes, because easy-going USAF officers don't often do, and he doesn't want people to think it's because he bribes them. Truth is that they have a monthly recurring three-day mission to M94-908 that has been nothing short of miserable the last three times, sleeping-in-a-cave, damp-freezing-BDUs and MREs-eaten-cold sort of miserable, and he wants to see their faces when next time he tells them to fire up the stove for breakfast and tosses them a pack of bacon. Especially since their favourite 'bored now' activity is speculation on which of the alien wildlife they've encountered would taste the most like bacon.

Thankfully he's pretty sure Cadman gets their team dynamic. It's one of those working relationships that you don't find anywhere but on Atlantis: his sergeants are both intensely competent when it matters, so he gives them space to play, and in turn they are far more than their duty requires them to be, give his team shape in that ineffable NCO way, and keep his young lieutenant from drowning in his own self-importance to boot.

"...a dartboard for the marine's ready room," he continues, "some kind of special coffee roast for McKay... and a Grand piano for Radek."

"...Radek wants you to bring back a piano?"

"Yeah, says it'll do magical things in the mess hall acoustics." He's right too, by Evan's ear. He'd been an easy sell on this idea.

"And... Sam agreed to this?"

"Her instructions were 'as long as you can load the jumper and fit into it yourself for the way back, it's fine by me'. It'd be good for morale, anyway. The bigger hurdle is getting stuff down the mountain..."

"Well yes. A grand might be.. tricky. Not to mention hard to explain."

"I'm thinking it'll either have to be an upright, or a really good digital. They're made damn good these days. And you know Ouseti?"

"The big dude in Ops/Tech, right? Can make wood into pretty much anything?"

"Yeah. He says he can probably build a casing to make it look like a grand piano."

"This is gonna be fun."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why is there a giant fuzzy whale in the cart?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn't noticed, there's a fair amount of handwaving canon here - for instance O'Neill is still General at the mountain (because I loved it when he was and I could never get used to Landry).

"Why is there a giant fuzzy whale in the cart?"

She gives him a puzzled look and then examines the contents of the cart. As if she needs to - the stuffed whale overhangs it on both sides. It's a fairly good Blue Whale depiction that has to be two metres long.

"Um... it wanted to come along?" she tries in a plaintive sort of tone. Evan groans inwardly: she had the sort of expression Sheppard wears in his more out-there moments.

 "Sometimes I think Sheppard sent you along just so I would get my recommended daily dose of surrealism while I was over here."

She quirks her eyebrows at him and then scoots off to grab a more normal sized stuffed dolphin off the racks.

"How are you going to get this stuff through the mountain?"

"Tell 'em it's for Teyla's kid," she smiled. "Well, the dolphin really is. You think the Ge--the boss is going to object?"

General O'Neill had a soft spot a mile wide for children, and had already sent Teyla congratulations when he heard of her pregnancy. Probably not.

"Well, at least it's not life size," he concedes, suppressing a smile. Her eyes narrow thoughtfully, and he immediately regrets his words. Giving her ideas when she's in this mood is always dangerous. Entertaining, but dangerous.

"There's a thought. Probably wouldn't manage to get a 30-metre stuffed whale down the mountain though. Or even a half-sized one."

Oh yeah, that's just the thing to say to somebody who paints. He has a very, very vivid imagination.

"But think of the faces on the other side if we pushed it through the gate."

Laura snorted laughter, and he grins, continuing:  
"If we promised to send the boss video footage of Sam's face, he would absolutely go for that."

She has to hold on to the cart to steady herself, and Evan is laughing right along.  
It makes for a great mental image. Yes, O'Neill would go for that. If they were to push a 30 metre long plush whale through the gate, the General would be down in the gateroom pushing the thing right along with them.

Then his mind's eye adds SG1 to the picture, Mitchell, Teal'c and Daniel pushing, and Vala riding on top of the damn thing, waving a cowboy hat. Thank you, vivid visual imagination. He might have to sketch that later, just to get it out of his head.

Then show it to Laura. He loves it when she laughs so hard she has tears in her eyes, like now. She's leaning into his shoulder, shaking with mirth, and he almost can't contain the urge to pull her to him, plant a kiss on her lips. She's so alive, and in this moment so beautifully careless, it's almost intoxicating.


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay, so we have too much stuff," she conceded.

"Told you," he said, eyeing the available boot space and then the two carts full of stuff. Yeah, he should have kept better control of that, but it was hard to say no to Cadman when her eyes lit up at the sight of some shop, and to be honest he'd done his part in shopping as well. He so rarely had the opportunity to come by clothes the military hadn't picked for him that he'd overdone it. Just a little bit.

"I'm not the one who bought chalk in seventeen different shades of blue," she said thoughtfully, eyeing the giant fuzzy whale. Yeah, she didn't need to be told his chalks were hardly going to make the difference.

"You did get a whole box of yarn," he pointed out mildly.

"Mostly for trade.. I picked one of each so I can give them to Vala as examples of the sort of thing the IOA should send us for trade."

"Uh-huh." He knew yarn was popular on the internal trade market of Atlantis - knitting was not a rare hobby, and all sorts of wonderful things could be obtained in exchange for a pair of well-knitted socks. That wasn't even going in to what it would get you on certain planets. An enterprising research assistant had conquered a hefty corner of the market by mobilising her grandmother's knitting club. And wasn't it a beautiful thought that there were old ladies in Maine who knitted socks that, unbeknownst to them, ended up being worn by aliens in another galaxy?

He might have needled Laura a little about doing something so incongruous as knitting - he still couldn't quite wrap his head around Laura 'Fire in the Hole!' Cadman doing something so domestic - but she'd given him a flat look and a "Would you prefer me to get bored, sir?'

He remembered the mission on PX5-693. Bad things happened when Cadman got bored. Like her 'scientific curiosity' to if she could build an explosive device out of whatever she happened to find in the abandoned workshop they had been camping out at. The blast radius had been quite impressive.

"I just think being a badass marine and being able to knit my own socks are in no way incompatible," she'd said, as if daring him to disagree.

He couldn't, because it was true. And he liked that she was willing to show this side of herself, rather than stick to the Tough Marine Cadman part she allowed to be seen when around the people they worked with. If she had any doubts that he took her seriously as an officer, he would never even have known about it.  
It gave him the same sort of warm feeling as the first time Sam had come into the senior command rec room late at night, after a hellish day dealing with Woolsey. She'd been in thick fuzzy socks and with bed-hair, and hesitated imperceptibly at the doorway, then evidently decided that she didn't mind him seeing her like that. He might have caught a mutter about 'drop-kicking the man through the gate' as she'd sank down on the sofa, and then they'd alternately laughed and ranted over early MacGyver episodes until the shared nightmare of the day hadn't seemed so bad anymore.

Knitting wasn't weird on Atlantis - all sorts of obscure hobbies and crafts were popular back home. The homebrewing society was wildly popular, for one thing. And he'd thought that it was just about alcohol content, but some of the members turned out some fantastic wines.  

"And hey, I picked up some of those vacuum bags," she said brightly, jarring him from his contemplation. She took them out their wrapping and began to fill them up with yarn.

Evan shrugged and took another to fill it up with clothing.

"I think it needs a warning sticker," he said when they had managed to close the boot. The whale was stuffed up against the back seat window, its eye up against the glass and its face grotesquely squashed. He hadn't had the heart to insist it stay behind. "Warning: content under pressure."

Laura grinned and tossed the last vacuum bags of yarn and clothes into the footwell of the passenger seat.

"Right. Onward."

She turned on the iPod and scrolled it to ABBA. Evan tried to pretend he minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get myself out of the habit of present-tense writing, because it tends to take over ALL my stories. Hope the change is not too jarring.


	10. Chapter 10

With the vague sense of making up for the frivolity of spending the afternoon shopping, he drove well into the night  
  
"I guess now we don't have space for that grand piano," Cadman said about an hour later, as if they'd been having this conversation the entire time. She was stuffing back a bag that had popped out from the load behind the front seats.   
  
"Watch and learn, Laura," he said with a grin. It wasn't exactly a surprise they'd go overboard shopping, so he'd come prepared. He just hadn't wanted her to know, or it would have been way worse.   
  
He'd turned off the freeway some time ago, and they were now driving through a lightly forested area, the last houses having disappeared an hour ago.   
  
He kept turning into smaller roads until he was certain there wouldn't meet anybody or be overseen, and then stopped. Cadman watched in curious silence as he took out the special emergency radio.   
  
"Daedalus, Doctor Novak, this is Major Lorne. Come in please."  
  
Cadman's eyes lit up with understanding.   
  
"...Novak here. Is everything okay, Major?" they heard after a long moment.   
  
"No emergencies, Doctor - just the cargo situation we discussed."  
  
"Okay," Novak said brightly. "Do you want it stored here or at the SGC?"  
  
Laura gave him a look as if she'd suddenly discovered something new about him, and liked it.   
  
"It's personal stuff, so whatever works," he answered while they got out of the car and began to stack the contents of the car at the side of the road, taking care to keep out their travel bags. "If you don't have space, Colonel Mitchell would probably be willing to stow it at the mountain until we're back there."  
  
"Copy that. What am I honing in on?"  
  
"You can see our transmitters on screen, right? We're standing either side of the stack."  
  
"Got it. Beaming..."  
  
White light gathered around the stack of boxes, the whale perched across of it, and then all of it disappeared.   
  
"The small red box is for you and Hermiod," Evan said, as the darkness returned. They got back into the car.   
  
" _Ohhhh_!" Novak's voice rose in pleased surprise, and they could hear the murmur of the Asgard's voice in the background. "Good luck on your trip, Major. Stay safe."  
  
"Thank you. Lorne out."  
  
He drove away, heading back to the motorway. They had at least another few hours to go.  
   
"So what was in the red box?" Cadman finally asked after ten minutes. He was impressed; he had expected her to cave much sooner.   
  
"Nutella and Pixie Stix."  
  
"Nutella for Dr Novak and... for _Hermiod?_ _Really?_ "   
  
"Yup. Only Earth food he can eat."  
  
"How did you _discover_ this, is what I want to know," she was laughing so hard she was having trouble breathing.   
  
"Ah, that's for me to know and for you to find out."


End file.
